Homemade Ginger Syrup (and fun drinks to make with it)

Inside, I sit with a mug of tea (a craft beer mug, of course), hoping it’ll a) help chase away the cold I’ve been battling and b) keep me warm. And this time of year, in the midwest anyway, we’re always looking for something warm — something to help us forget that we’re in the midst of a four-or-so month stretch of less-than-ideal weather.

And ginger is just the thing. It takes you away to somewhere far more tropical, and it has just the right amount of spicy kick. And not only is it great in food, but it’s awesome in drinks, too. I’ve always loved ginger tea and ginger ale, but I recently began playing around with other things gingery. Homemade ginger syrup, specifically. It’s so easy to make and can be used a hundred different ways — below are a few of my favorites. But let’s start with the basic syrup.

For each drink, fill a 12-ounce glass with ice, add homemade ginger syrup, lime juice and bitters. Top with seltzer water and a slice of lime.

If you prefer your ginger on the boozy side (we are talking about warmth here, you know), you’re in luck — the options for using homemade ginger syrup in cocktails is endless. Here are a few of my current favorites:

The Triple GINger (named by yours truly, but inspired by a cocktail I recently had at Embeya)

Fill a highball glass with ice (or a large “whiskey ice,” which is what I used) and rim the edge of the glass with lime.

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake firmly a few times, then strain into your glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.

You didn’t think I’d leave out whiskey, did you? Anyone whose been following this blog knows that I’m a big whiskey fan, and I’m always up for a good old fashioned. In fact, last year I took a class so I could learn how to make them at home. I blogged about that class here, and those learnings helped influence this next cocktail — the Ginger Old Fashioned.

My mom, who is from Hawaii, smashes ginger with the bottom of a heavy glass (kind of like you do with garlic and a knife) to help with the peeling. If I’m needing to grate the ginger, I don’t bother peeling it. I just cut off a bit of a skin to expose the flesh and start grating. Works especially well with a microplane.
Great post, Bobbi! Happy New Year!

Only recently I have ordered a “winter tea” in a local cafe… It cointained honey, lemon and ginger. Plus, it made me feel sooo cosy! This one shall be similar, I guess. I love your blog by the way. Can’t wait to try out some of the recipes!